COMMISSION AGENDA MEMORANDUM Item No. ACTION ITEM Date of Meeting DATE: February 26, 2025 TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director FROM: Pearse Edwards, Sr. Director, External Relations 8l March 11, 2025 SUBJECT: Competition Waiver for Maritime Communications Initiative Amount of this request: Total estimated project cost: $300,000.00 $495,000.00 ACTION REQUESTED Request Commission authorization under Revised Code of Washington 53.19 for competition waiver authorizing the Port to specify local communications and marketing firm, DH, as the communications, creative, producer, and media planner for the Port of Seattle's (Port) maritime communications and advertising initiative - the "Port for the Future." EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the Port's budget, External Relations was allocated funding to create and execute a communications and advertising initiative to educate the public on the history and relevance of and showcase the economic impact of Seattle's maritime sector. The External Relations team, through a competitive bidding process, hired a local communications and marketing firm, DH, to -   Manage the creation and development of multiple creative territories to tell the Port's story across digital, broadcast, print and experiential media sources. Create and manage a paid media strategy, inclusive of creative development and quality assurance, in alignment with the overall project plan and goals. DH has since worked with Port staff to produce an initial video - "Made Possible by the Port" - that showcases the history and economic and social impact of the maritime sector to the region and teases a vision of the future of the waterfront. When the initial scope of work was drafted in the fall of 2024, the "Port of..." or "Port for the Future" concept was in its early stages of internal development and, while mentioned in the Port's scope of work with DH, was not detailed in the scope at a level to allow for execution of Template revised January 10, 2019. COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8l Meeting Date: March 11, 2025 Page 2 of 4 messaging, creative concepts or content, and an impactful media buy to support that specific body of work. Since the budget to execute a second phase of the project focused on the future of the waterfront exceeds the budget limits of the current CAT 2 contract with DH, we are seeking a waiver to engage with DH with the future phase of the project. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $495,000, including writing, design, production, project management, and media buy. The project will be funded primarily out of External Relations promotional budget. JUSTIFICATION The purpose of this waiver request is to use DH's design and marketing staff to efficiently carry forward the second phase of this project. We request a competition waiver because it is not cost effective or reasonable to compete this work. Not cost effective. Continuing our work with DH is imperative because the maritime communications and advertising initiative is a uniform body of work - threading a story to raise awareness and advocate for the Port's maritime industry and support the Port's vision for the future. The communications materials and associated multi-month media campaign across traditional and digital media will share the historic relevance of Seattle's rich maritime history, economic impact and how maritime is embedded into Seattle business, civic, and entertainment communities through to the "Teal New Deal" - a future maritime economy rooted in advanced manufacturing and green clean energy. To be successful the advertising creative must align core themes. Hiring a second firm to produce creative would lead to distinct difference to messaging, look, and feel of the campaign elements. In addition, bringing in a second firm would require weeks of on-boarding and delay implementation of the initiative - costing us more internal staff time and money away from other work. It would also open the door to unnecessary expenditures of hours as two firms would need to be spending hours checking in with each other to ensure the work was completed rather than one holistic team completing the work, negatively impacting the budget. Diversity in Contracting There are no aspirational goals for this competition waiver. DETAILS The Port will use the materials produced by DH to execute a robust media buy on both traditional and digital media sources. The materials will also be integrated into ongoing Port communications efforts like its website, blog and messaging added into press materials as needed. Finally, it will also be integrated into presentations and materials for Commissioners and executive leadership team members as they present the Port's vision of a Port for the Future Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8l Meeting Date: March 11, 2025 Page 3 of 4 externally this year. Scope of Work Within the Port's vision for the future the Port would like to be sure to include ideas that paint our industrial lands as an area for focus for the city and regional organizations. The Port has spent years supporting and partnering with Maritime Blue, Greater Seattle Partners, and with the Chamber and believe with a partnership with the City's Office of Economic Development we can attract green economy industrial companies that will support the type of blue collar and manufacturing jobs that are the backbone of our economy. We can use this creative direction to highlight the strength of our maritime industry while using it to lay the groundwork for a regional effort to attract large manufacturing and logistics companies while also attracting the type of funding to support a robust maritime start-up economy. The goal of the creative outcome would be to highlight the strength of what we have built and using it to attract, retain and support the "Teal New Deal" economy. The key elements of the scope of work, include:  Project workplan  Messaging and Creative Development  Design Services  Media Buying Plan and Execution  Project Management $6,000 $94,000 $83,000 $304,000 $18,000 Schedule All research, writing, editing, and design should be completed before TIME. The ads will run over the course of this summer and fall of 2025. Cost Breakdown Project workplan Design Services Media Buying Plan and Execution Project Management This Request $0 $0 $0 $300,000 $0 Total Project $6,000 $94,000 $83,000 $304,000 $18,000 ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED Alternatives to not using DH for the second phase of the work are: 1. Compete the work for other firms to bid. The risk is significant timing delay and lack of creative and messaging continuity. 2. Not to conduct the second phase of the work thus curtailing our ability to market the future of the waterfront and help abate any further incursions in the Duwamish Manufacturing/Industrial Center. Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8l Meeting Date: March 11, 2025 Page 4 of 4 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary Capital Expense Total COST ESTIMATE Original estimate $0 $155,000 $136,000 AUTHORIZATION Previous authorizations Current request for authorization Total authorizations, including this request Remaining amount to be authorized 0 0 0 $0 $45,000 300,000 495,000 $0 45,000 300,000 495,000 $0 ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST None. PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS None. Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).